2023 NT1

2023 NT1 is a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) discovered on July 15, 2023, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey located at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii. It is classified as an Apollo asteroid, meaning it has an orbit that crosses the Earth's orbit.

While initially flagged as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) due to its size and proximity to Earth, further observations and refined orbit calculations quickly ruled out any significant impact risk for the foreseeable future, at least within the next century.

2023 NT1 is estimated to be roughly 40 to 88 meters in diameter. Its relatively small size, compared to other NEAs, made its discovery challenging. It was only identified after it had already passed within about 6 million miles of Earth, illustrating the ongoing need for comprehensive sky surveys to detect potentially hazardous objects.

The asteroid's discovery highlights the importance of planetary defense programs and the ongoing efforts to catalog and track near-Earth objects. Even asteroids of this size could cause significant regional damage if they were to impact a populated area. While 2023 NT1 posed no immediate threat, it served as a reminder of the constant presence of asteroids in Earth's orbital neighborhood and the necessity of vigilance. Its orbital parameters are still being refined with continued observation.